Trump Jr on Kolkata visit to raise toast to city’s Tower success

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Updated: Feb 20, 2018, 11.46 AM IST

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The Trump property in Kolkata is priced nearly half of what a condo costs in any other Trump property.

KOLKATA: Donald Trump Jr will raise a toast and deliver a speech at a dinner hosted to celebrate the success of Trump Tower Kolkata on Tuesday evening. In attendance will be 100-odd businessmen who have booked apartments in the project and select names from the city’s real estate fraternity.

Harsh Neotia of Unimark Group, one of the three partners developing the Rs 600-crore project, said, “It is a privilege to welcome Donald Trump Jr to Kolkata. The success of the project reflects the relevan ce of the Trump brand and lifestyle for India. The project has done well with nearly 75% sales.”

The Trump brand may have played a big part in enticing customers. Realtors also point to the size and price of the project. The Trump property in Kolkata is priced nearly half of what a condo costs in any other Trump property. At Rs 4-5.5 crore, the starting price of apartment in the project is way below $1-20 million that other Trump condos command. The apartments are around 2,500-3,500sqft.

When the deal was inked over a year-and-a-half ago, it was the senior Trump who was supposed to attend the launch function. In August 2014, he visited the Trump Towers in Pune. But that changed once he was elected the 45th President of the United States. Trump Jr then took control of the family business that had been founded by his great-grandmother Elizabeth Trump.

The Kolkata visit is part of the first business trip made by a Trump family member since Trump senior’s election. Though his daughter, Ivanka, had Hyderabad last year, her trip was official as she is also a White House advisor. Trump Jr though is on a personal trip. India with four projects in Kolkata, Gurgaon, Mumbai and Pune currently has the largest business interest for Trump Corporation.

“Trump Corporation is a commercial enterprise and has no connection with the US government. US consulate Kolkata has no information or comment on this personal visit,” read a statement issued by the diplomatic mission. Officials at the airport as well as hotels, however, said consulate officials were very much involved in the President’s son’s security detail. A US Secret Service team will accompany him.

“A bay has been set aside at the airport to park his plane, a Boeing 757. The protocolshave been communicated to immigration and Customs authorities. Security along the way will be tight,” an official said.

While Secret Service will control the Jr Trump’s immediate security, Kolkata Police will throw a cordon around the two hotels on the Bypass as well as around Trump Tower Kolkata.

All entry and exit points at the venues will be sanitized and controlled well before the programmes. All backup forces will be ready including Quick Reaction teams and commando strike forces for operation within minimum time, another source said.